Kansas Department for Children and FamiliesNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94The latest podcasts and commentary from KMUW - Wichita 89.1 FM.NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Kansas Department for Children and FamiliesWed, 16 Aug 2017 03:59:36 +0000Kansas Department for Children and Familieshttp://kmuw.org
Stephen KorandaThe Kansas Department for Children and Families is dealing with computer problems that brought down the system used to process welfare benefits applications. Theresa Freed, spokeswoman for DCF, says people seeking benefits can still submit paper applications and required documentation. The applications will be entered after the system comes back online. Robert Choromanski, executive director of the Kansas Organization of State Employees, says workers were already behind on applications because of preparations for a new computer system roll-out next week. He says he's concerned the latest issues will grow the backlog. “I think that’s going to further put the welfare applicants behind in terms of trying to get their benefits processed,” Choromanski says. It's unclear when the computer problems will be resolved. The issues also affected other systems, including the online form for reporting suspected child abuse. Freed says child abuse reports should be made only by phone until theComputer Problems Crash Application System For Kansas Welfare Benefitshttp://kmuw.org/post/computer-problems-crash-application-system-kansas-welfare-benefits
87278 as http://kmuw.orgTue, 15 Aug 2017 14:29:39 +0000Computer Problems Crash Application System For Kansas Welfare BenefitsDan MargoliesKansas scores 15th among the 50 states for overall child well-being, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2017 “Kids Count” report. The state’s relatively high overall ranking is driven by its No. 7 ranking for kids’ economic well-being, based on indicators like housing affordability and employment security for parents. But the state fares less well in three other categories: health, in which the foundation ranks it 20th; education, 26th; and family and community, 23rd. The state’s No. 15 overall ranking is an improvement over its No. 19 ranking last year. Annie McKay, president and CEO of the non-profit Kansas Action for Children , says the report contains good news for Kansas, but because the data are two years old, they don’t take account of actions by the state since then. “We’ve since that time left our safety net sort of in disrepair,” McKay says, referring to the 2015 Kansas Hope Act , which codified welfare-to-work policies and lowered eligibility for cash assistance.Kansas Fares Well In New 'Kids Count' Ranking But Has Ways To Gohttp://kmuw.org/post/kansas-fares-well-new-kids-count-ranking-has-ways-go
84611 as http://kmuw.orgTue, 13 Jun 2017 22:07:21 +0000Kansas Fares Well In New 'Kids Count' Ranking But Has Ways To GoMeg WingerterEditor’s note: Kansas privatized its foster care system in 1997, after a lawsuit revealed widespread problems. Twenty years later, the number of Kansas children in foster care has shot up — by a third in just the last five years — and lawmakers are debating whether the system once again needs serious changes. The Kansas News Service investigated problems in the system and possible solutions. This is the fourth story in a series With a record number of children in state custody — more than 7,000 at the end of March — Kansas officials have made recruiting and retaining foster parents a priority. Speaking at a recent Statehouse event, Gov. Sam Brownback said Kansas should reverse its current situation and have foster parents waiting to be assigned children. “This is doable. We just need people to step up,” he said. “Listen to your heart. Don’t block it.” But foster parents say it takes more than good intentions to care for children in state custody, especially those who have special needsKansas Foster Parents Say Support System Vital: ‘You Do The Best You Can’http://kmuw.org/post/kansas-foster-parents-say-support-system-vital-you-do-best-you-can
84219 as http://kmuw.orgMon, 05 Jun 2017 19:48:25 +0000Kansas Foster Parents Say Support System Vital: ‘You Do The Best You Can’Meg WingerterKansas is on track to spend less than a third of what it did six years ago on cash assistance and to serve a third as many low-income people, according to a state budget office memo.Welfare Spending Drops As Fewer Kansans Receive Cash Assistancehttp://kmuw.org/post/welfare-spending-drops-fewer-kansans-receive-cash-assistance
83957 as http://kmuw.orgTue, 30 May 2017 15:54:02 +0000Welfare Spending Drops As Fewer Kansans Receive Cash AssistanceMeg WingerterEditor’s note: Kansas privatized its foster care system in 1997, after a lawsuit revealed widespread problems. Twenty years later, the number of Kansas children in foster care has shot up — by a third in just the last five years — and lawmakers are debating whether the system once again needs serious changes. The Kansas News Service investigated problems in the system and possible solutions. This is the second story in a series. Turnover among caseworkers has delayed children’s movement through the Kansas foster care system, contributing to record numbers of kids living away from their families. While each case is different, foster care workers serve as a vital part of the system and often deal with parents and children during stressful times. They work with families on their case plans, which outline what they need to do to satisfy the court and get their children back; check on children to make sure their foster home placement is working out, and help arrange adoptive placement if aTo Keep Foster Care Caseworkers, Kansas Adjusts Training, Pay — But Is It Enough?http://kmuw.org/post/keep-foster-care-caseworkers-kansas-adjusts-training-pay-it-enough
83633 as http://kmuw.orgTue, 23 May 2017 10:00:00 +0000To Keep Foster Care Caseworkers, Kansas Adjusts Training, Pay — But Is It Enough?Meg WingerterEditor’s note: Kansas privatized its foster care system in 1997 after a lawsuit revealed widespread problems. Twenty years later, the number of Kansas children in foster care has shot up — by a third in just the last five years — and lawmakers are debating whether the system once again needs serious changes. The Kansas News Service investigated problems in the system and possible solutions. This is the first story in a series. The Fritz family easily could have been another statistic: one more family broken by trauma and substance abuse, and two more children in a crowded Kansas foster care system. Instead, three years later, Tara and David Fritz’s younger son shows off and shares orange Tic Tacs, which he calls “sour jelly beans,” with a visitor to their Kansas City home while waiting for his older brother to get back from school. It was the kind of day Tara wanted to be normal for her children — unburdened by adult problems. Her own childhood wasn’t sheltered. Her father, who had aAs Kansas Foster Care System Sets Records, Advocates Call For More Family Serviceshttp://kmuw.org/post/kansas-foster-care-system-sets-records-advocates-call-more-family-services
83308 as http://kmuw.orgMon, 15 May 2017 21:34:46 +0000As Kansas Foster Care System Sets Records, Advocates Call For More Family ServicesMeg WingerterThe Kansas House gave preliminary approval Friday to a bill creating a task force that will recommend improvements to the foster care system. The House Children and Seniors Committee passed the bill in March after collecting testimony from foster parents, law enforcement officials and child welfare advocates. Many of those who testified expressed concerns about social worker caseloads and lack of coordination in the system. Rep. Linda Gallagher, a Lenexa Republican and the committee’s vice chairwoman, said she hopes the task force will come up with solutions that state officials can put into action. “The task force...is intended not just to issue another report that will go on the shelf,” she said. Officials with the Kansas Department for Children and Families, which oversees the foster care system, had raised concerns the stat e could lose up to $48 million in federal funding if the task force’s “corrective action plan” forced changes that contradicted federal requirements. ButFoster Care Task Force Gets Initial OK From Kansas Househttp://kmuw.org/post/foster-care-task-force-gets-initial-ok-kansas-house
83200 as http://kmuw.orgFri, 12 May 2017 22:25:17 +0000Foster Care Task Force Gets Initial OK From Kansas HouseMeg WingerterA bill to increase oversight of the Kansas foster care system hit a snag after state officials said its wording could jeopardize millions in federal funding. The bill would create an interim oversight committee that would study problems in the state’s foster care system and submit a corrective action plan to the Kansas Legislature. The House Committee on Children and Seniors approved the bill in March, but it still must pass the full House and Senate. But the Kansas Department for Children and Families, which oversees the foster care system, said following that plan could cost the state $48 million in federal funding — nearly a third of DCF’s annual budget. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reviews state foster care programs about every three years and requires them to make changes outlined in a performance improvement plan. DCF Secretary Phyllis Gilmore said the state could lose federal funding if anything in the oversight committee’s corrective action plan contradictsKansas Agency Says Foster Care Oversight Committee Would Jeopardize $48M In Federal Fundshttp://kmuw.org/post/kansas-agency-says-foster-care-oversight-committee-would-jeopardize-48m-federal-funds
82779 as http://kmuw.orgWed, 03 May 2017 21:37:11 +0000Kansas Agency Says Foster Care Oversight Committee Would Jeopardize $48M In Federal FundsMeg WingerterAn audit of the Kansas foster care system found the state doesn’t ensure children are placed close to home or receive all services they need. The Legislature’s independent auditing team presented the third part of its report on the Kansas foster care system Friday to the Legislative Post Audit Committee. The final part of the audit attempted to answer if the state’s two foster care contractors have sufficient resources to provide services and if privatization has improved children’s outcomes and lowered costs. Download part three of the Kansas foster care system audit. Kansas privatized its foster care system in 1997. Two contractors provide foster care services, with KVC Health Systems overseeing the eastern counties and Saint Francis Community Services taking Wichita and western Kansas. Lawmakers have called for reform of the state’s foster care system after several high-profile child deaths and a string of record-breaking years for children in the system. As of late February, moreAudit Finds Concerns About Child Placement, Services In Kansas Foster Care Systemhttp://kmuw.org/post/audit-finds-concerns-about-child-placement-services-kansas-foster-care-system
82649 as http://kmuw.orgMon, 01 May 2017 18:50:03 +0000Audit Finds Concerns About Child Placement, Services In Kansas Foster Care SystemAndy MarsoAll that Michael Sykes has to show for his months-long quest to get his mother’s nursing home bed covered by KanCare is a pile of paperwork. Sykes has already appealed an initial denial of his mom’s coverage and been turned down again. He’s mulling his options. But even before the denials, he was struggling to get answers. “From that point, from the May 25 application, we did not receive any notification other than requests for information which constituted me faxing them well over 200 pages of documents, trying to meet their requirements so they could make a determination on Mom," he says. A 172-day wait Sykes’ saga began when he moved his family from Oklahoma to Kansas last year. Medicaid covered his mom’s nursing home in Oklahoma, but it’s a state-run program, so he had to apply for the Kansas version once they got here. Under federal law, Kansas was supposed to send a yes or no response within 45 days. “And it was actually 172 days," Sykes remembers. "I received another letterFor One Family, Move To Kansas Meant Medicaid Delayshttp://kmuw.org/post/one-family-move-kansas-meant-medicaid-delays
79667 as http://kmuw.orgWed, 22 Feb 2017 16:44:58 +0000For One Family, Move To Kansas Meant Medicaid DelaysAndy MarsoUpdated Thursday, 4:23 p.m.: Kansas News Service's Andy Marso reports that Sterling Dental has reached an agreement with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment on payments and will no longer suspend services to Kansans on the Medicaid backlog . Original story: About 350 elderly and disabled Kansans are suddenly without dental care after an Oklahoma City company informed nursing homes that it was suspending services for Kansas residents whose Medicaid applications are pending. The company, Sterling Dental, sends dentists to nursing homes in Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas for on-site care. But ongoing problems with Kansas’ Medicaid application process have left some residents waiting almost a year for coverage, and Sterling has decided it can no longer wait to be paid. Cindy Luxem heads the Kansas Health Care Association, a nursing home advocacy group in Kansas. She said she heard about Sterling’s decision from another advocacy group, LeadingAge Kansas, and was frustrated thatDental Care Provider Halts Services At Kansas Nursing Homes Amid Medicaid Backlog http://kmuw.org/post/dental-care-provider-halts-services-kansas-nursing-homes-amid-medicaid-backlog
78505 as http://kmuw.orgThu, 26 Jan 2017 17:38:01 +0000Dental Care Provider Halts Services At Kansas Nursing Homes Amid Medicaid Backlog From AP: Kansas welfare officials plan to have agency staffers perform all annual foster home inspections by midway through next year. The Department for Children and Families officials updated lawmakers Wednesday on the agency's efforts to respond to a highly critical audit and other reform efforts. Among other things, it plans to have staffers instead of contractors conduct the annual inspections of foster homes, due to potential conflicts of interest, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported . "The reason for this position is that the exclusive source of CPAs' funding is the placement of children in foster homes and the associated case-rate compensation that flows from that placement," the agency's deputy general counsel, Kaey Rogg, told the Legislative Post Audit Committee. "This could create an institutional bias against conducting thorough inspections." Rogg said performing the inspections will require about 15 new DCF workers, with the cash to pay the employees coming from the childKansas To Make Changes To Foster Home Inspections http://kmuw.org/post/kansas-make-changes-foster-home-inspections
76530 as http://kmuw.orgThu, 08 Dec 2016 23:00:05 +0000Kansas To Make Changes To Foster Home Inspections Stephen KorandaIn July, an audit blasted the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) for not doing enough to ensure the safety of kids in foster care. A legislative panel has received an update on what the agency has been doing to respond to the findings. DCF communication director Theresa Freed says the department has already put multiple changes in place. There are additional improvements coming in January, with stricter polices on required monthly visits to check on foster kids. She says there will also be more scrutiny of Kansas foster homes. “We’ve got some very major improvements coming, especially as far as foster care licensing in terms of background checks and finger printing. We’re doing a much better job with the program and making sure that the homes are safe,” Freed says. But policy changes aren’t enough to satisfy some lawmakers, like Democratic Rep. Jarrod Ousley. “They had training and policies in place that should have looked out for the best interests of the child thatDCF Implements Changes In Response To Kansas Foster Care Audithttp://kmuw.org/post/dcf-implements-changes-response-kansas-foster-care-audit
75872 as http://kmuw.orgMon, 21 Nov 2016 22:15:44 +0000DCF Implements Changes In Response To Kansas Foster Care AuditStephen KorandaA legislative committee says lawmakers and other state officials should more closely monitor the Kansas foster care system. As Stephen Koranda reports, that is one of the recommendations that came out of a joint committee meeting yesterday. The recommendations come after a state audit earlier this year, which said the Kansas Department for Children and Families wasn’t doing enough to ensure the safety of kids in foster care. One of the recommendations says lawmakers should create a panel that will more closely monitor and review foster care in Kansas. Republican state Sen. Forrest Knox said the foster care system went through privatization years ago, and he believes eventually it wasn’t monitored closely enough. “It was a shift away from oversight by the state. The pendulum swings back and forth," he said. "We moved to too little oversight and now we’re swinging back to more oversight." Officials with the Department for Children and Families say Kansas is a leader in foster care childLegislative Committee Recommends More Oversight Of Kansas Foster Carehttp://kmuw.org/post/legislative-committee-recommends-more-oversight-kansas-foster-care
75749 as http://kmuw.orgFri, 18 Nov 2016 15:29:25 +0000Legislative Committee Recommends More Oversight Of Kansas Foster CareAndy MarsoFor Ashlyn Harcrow, the sound of the train whistle brings up all kinds of thoughts she’d like to avoid. Harcrow, 24, has been living at the Topeka Rescue Mission since July. The nonprofit homeless shelter has helped her stabilize as she recovers from domestic violence and tries to improve her mental health amid post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. But the mission, at 600 N. Kansas Ave., is right next to the tracks. As trains rumble through north Topeka, they remind Harcrow that she’s thought about using those tracks to take her own life. “All these trains that go by here,” she said, “it don’t help.” Harcrow would like to leave the mission and get her own place. But it’s a financial impossibility until she gets her mental health on track so she can return to the workforce. She recently signed up for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which is commonly called food stamps. But she doesn’t qualify for any cash assistance that could help pay rent onKansas Welfare Changes Fall Off Radar In Election Seasonhttp://kmuw.org/post/kansas-welfare-changes-fall-radar-election-season
75278 as http://kmuw.orgMon, 07 Nov 2016 23:07:40 +0000Kansas Welfare Changes Fall Off Radar In Election SeasonJim McLeanThe State of Kansas will pay $100,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by the mother of a four-year-old boy who was beaten to death by his father shortly after leaving the state’s foster care system. Most of the $412,000 settlement will be paid by TFI Family Services, which was one of the state’s foster care contractors at the time of child’s death in 2013. Naomi Boone, the deceased child’s mother, charged in the lawsuit that TFI and the Kansas Department for Children and Family Services put the boy in danger by placing him with his father, who had a history of domestic violence. Senate Democratic Leader Anthony Hensley is a member of the State Finance Council, which approved the settlement. He says the incident adds to growing concerns about the state’s privatized foster care system. “This is a perfect example of why I believe I was right in opposing the privatization of our child welfare system,” Hensley says. Meeting with reporters shortly after approving the settlement, Gov. SamState To Pay $100K To Settle Wrongful Death Lawsuithttp://kmuw.org/post/state-pay-100k-settle-wrongful-death-lawsuit
73697 as http://kmuw.orgFri, 30 Sep 2016 19:48:53 +0000State To Pay $100K To Settle Wrongful Death LawsuitNadya FaulxSedgwick County will hold its annual Child Support Bench Warrant Amnesty Day on Friday, offered by the Kansas Department for Children and Families . The event is targeted at non-custodial parents who have fallen behind on child support payments and are facing arrest. Parents can pay $500 or two months' worth of child support -- whichever is less -- to have their bench warrants lifted. Speaking at the Wichita mayor's weekly briefing on Thursday, local organizer Kelly O’Malia said people might be afraid to step forward and start making payments. “It’s very hard because people think it’s a trap, and it’s not," she said. "We just want to help them get back on track, so the moneys can get into the homes of the people who really need it.” All funds raised through the event will be donated back to the children to whom it's owed. DCF offered the amnesty day in Wichita for several years before expanding the offer to the entire state in 2015. The agency reports that more than 200 bench warrantsWarrant Amnesty Day Offered To Kansas Parents Behind On Child Supporthttp://kmuw.org/post/warrant-amnesty-day-offered-kansas-parents-behind-child-support
72852 as http://kmuw.orgThu, 08 Sep 2016 22:08:00 +0000Warrant Amnesty Day Offered To Kansas Parents Behind On Child SupportAileen LeBlancAn arrest affidavit has been released by Harvey County District Judge Joe Dickinson detailing abuses of two children by their adopted parents in north Newton. In the affidavit, investigators tell of beatings, starving and other abuses to two of three children who had been adopted from Peru. The adoptive parents, Paige and James Nachtigal, did missionary work there. James worked in Newton as the CEO of Kansas Christian Home, a care facility for the aging. The couple was arrested in February. According to the document, a teacher reported the abuse to the Department for Children and families after one of the children came to school with scars on his forehead and in to his hairline. He told the teacher that he was forced to scrub the garage floor with his head. The Nachtigals were each charged with 12 counts of child abuse, aggravated battery and child torture. They are free on bond and are scheduled to appear back in court on Aug. 1. More from the AP: Two of three children adopted from anAffidavit Released In Couple's Alleged Abuse Of Adopted Childrenhttp://kmuw.org/post/affidavit-released-couples-alleged-abuse-adopted-children
69349 as http://kmuw.orgThu, 23 Jun 2016 22:12:58 +0000Affidavit Released In Couple's Alleged Abuse Of Adopted ChildrenAbigail BeckmanThe Kansas Department for Children and Families announced a new effort to increase child support collections for Kansas families. The agency’s Child Support Services division has started sending text messages to remind non-custodial parents of their obligation. The text messages are an attempt to encourage people to pay their child support. Texts will be sent out when the parent is 45 days late with a payment. The initial message went to 100,000 parents. The text includes the court order number and the current amount of child support owed as well as other information. The text will include a link to make a payment, as well. As part of the new program, custodial parents will receive a debit card soon. The agency says child support payments will be deposited on the new card, beginning in June. Total child support collections in March were up 8.6 percent over the same time last year, which translates into an additional $2.5 million collected for Kansas families. -- Follow Abigail WilsonLate On Child Support? Expect A Text.http://kmuw.org/post/late-child-support-expect-text
66947 as http://kmuw.orgSun, 01 May 2016 15:07:13 +0000Late On Child Support? Expect A Text.Stephen KorandaA panel of Kansas lawmakers has voted not to audit a state agency to see if there’s discrimination against same-sex couples. As KPR’s Stephen Koranda reports, an audit would have looked for discrimination when it comes to foster care and adoption. In a letter to the committee, the head of the Kansas Department for Children and Families said the agency doesn’t discriminate against same-sex couples. That was enough for Republican Sen. Jeff Longbine to suggest they hold off on an audit. “Since they have formally come out and said they are not discriminating, they don’t have policies either for same-sex couples or against same-sex couples, maybe we should take them at their word for a while and see how they behave,” Longbine says. Democratic Rep. Jim Ward pushed for the audit. He says there is some evidence discrimination may be happening and they need to find out more. “Because people who discriminate typically don’t come into legislative committees and admit they discriminate. It isKansas Legislative Panel Votes Not To Audit DCF For Discriminationhttp://kmuw.org/post/kansas-legislative-panel-votes-not-audit-dcf-discrimination
66821 as http://kmuw.orgWed, 27 Apr 2016 15:34:31 +0000Kansas Legislative Panel Votes Not To Audit DCF For Discrimination